Cinnamon has been used as one of the tasty spices in many Indian and South East Asia cuisines, In traditional Ayurvedic medicine It’s been used as a herb to cure heartburn, indigestion and other gastrointestinal inflammations. Modern science has now established many of its valuable medicinal properties. In this article we will discuss 10 different medicinal benefits of Cinnamon.
10 medicinal benefits of Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner layer of stem of trees called as Cinnamomum..These sticks either used directly or can be grounded to form cinnamon powder. There are two main types of cinnamon of various Types
- Ceylon cinnamon – Sri Lankan cinnamon
- Cassia cinnamon – Chinese cinnamon
1. Anti-inflammatory
Studies show that Cinnamon has many antioxidants with potent anti-inflammatory properties, Thus it can block abnormal cell growth, ease swelling and lowers the risk for disease.
It also can treat pain, common cold, headaches, body fatigue, arthritis. Additionally it cure oral inflammations and have antiplatelet properties prevent blood platelets from clumping together.
2. Antioxidants properties
Cinnamon have powerful Antioxidants which protect your body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.. Hence it also prevent cancer, improves digestion, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.
A antioxidant Cinnamaldehyde gives cinnamon its distinct smell and flavor and also responsible to boost metabolism of your body. Polyphenols can lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and prevent blood clotting.
3. Antimicrobial properties
Cinnamaldehyde also have antifungal. and antibacterial properties, A study shows Cinnamon oil can fight many hospital-acquired infections like MRSA, and E. coli. This make cinnamon oil a perfect ingredient in many hand sanitizers.
Moreover, due to its antimicrobial effects, many food preservatives contain Cinnamon extracts to avoid food from rotting. It may also help in reducing infections, preventing tooth decay, reduce bad breath. and help in healing wounds faster.
4. Improve the blood Flow
Cinnamon have anti aging proteins – elastin and collagen. These proteins help to slow down the aging process by improving the blood flow throughout surface of the skin.
Consequently, improved blood flow protect our skin by fighting acnes and encourages hair growth by boosting blood flow to the hair follicles. A study shows Cinnamon can also reduce blood pressure studies.
5. Diabetes & Cholesterol
Studies have shown that cinnamon has potential to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, Cinnamon may restore the receptors so they are once again responsive to insulin, Chromium and polyphenols in cinnamon improve insulin sensitivity.
Cinnamon can reduce risk of many heart diseases. Different studies show that Cinnamon can lower the bad cholesterol and triglycerides levels of patients with diabetes and improve good HDL cholesterol.
6. Neurodegenerative Diseases
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases are neurodegenerative diseases which can lead to progressive loss in functioning of brain cells. Cinnamon inhibits the ability to inhibits key markers of Alzheimer’s disease = tau protein aggregation and amyloid-β peptides.
In another study in mice with Parkinson’s disease, cinnamon helped neuronal protection and normalized neurotransmitter levels. These effects need to be studied further in humans as these improvements in these neuronal diseases are limited to in animal studies.
7. Anti-carcinogenic effects
Some studies shows that Cinnamon extracts has been widely studied for its potential use against preventing cancer. It inhibits the growth of cancer cells and the formation of blood vessels into tumors. A study in mice with colon cancer showed that cinnamon activates protective antioxidant responses in colon cells
Cinnamon has widely studied due to its potential use in cancer prevention and treatment. But more clinical trails are required as these evidence is limited to some test-tube and animal studies,
8. Help Fight the HIV Virus
According to a study, scientists found that cinnamon extract have showed anti-HIV activity and gives protection against it.. HIV virus gradually crumbles of your immune system, Cinnamon extracts can also help to fight against HIV-1 varieties.
According to a laboratory research found that Cinnamomum cassia (bark) and Cardiospermum helicacabum (shoot + fruit) were the most efficacious against at HIV-infected cells out of the 69 plant species screened.
9. Cinnamon and weight loss
A Research have shown cinnamon, may help reduce the bad effects of eating high-fat foods. Hence it might be helpful to add cinnamon to your diet plan to expediate your weight loss goals.
Cinnamon is also effective in lowering blood glucose levels and result in losing body weight. It has natural sweet taste that can act as an appetite suppressant against sugar cravings,
10. Mitigate Menstrual bleeding
Polycystic ovarian syndrome can cause many serious conditions like diabetes or cancer of the uterus. Many scientific studies showed that having too much insulin can be one of the reasons, Cinnamon can bring down the insulin levels.
According to a clinical trial Cinnamon can also help mitigate excessive menstrual bleeding and other associated health conditions such as endometriosis and menorrhagia.
Conclusion
This delicious and healthiest spices is regarded as prized commodities in many culture, in earlier times, Once the price of cinnamon used to at the higher side than that of gold, but now it can be easily available at cheaper price.
Cinnamon has numerous medicinal benefits can treat loss of appetite and indigestion, However too much consumption of coumarin have dangerous side effects. Out of two variants, Ceylon cinnamon have lower coumarin. If you are facing any digestive issues just give it a try.
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